The whole Banger community was sent into shock waves when, in August 2017 – it was sadly announced that 206 Dave ‘Kingy’ King had passed away. ‘Kingy’ was a great driver and a true entertainer, both on and off the track.
‘Kingy’ started racing at the dirt track at Horsham before racing regularly at Smallfield – something which Dave had admitted he enjoyed. “I did enjoy my racing at Smallfield, I had my first win there which meant a hell of a lot to me. It was in 1987 and I won a heat at a team meeting. I remember going on the lap of honour and I honestly had a lump in my throat.”
Of course, throughout the course of his career, ‘Kingy’ was well renowned for being a great crasher as well as a race winner. In an interview in the Blitz magazine in 1997, Dave reminisced about one of his first big crashes at Smallfield. “I took a MK3 Escort there first time out, on the key. I got followed in full chat although I can’t remember the bloke’s name now who did it.”
However, he also admitted that it wasn’t the hardest crash he ever took there. “The hardest hit I ever took there was from former Surrey Street Squad captain Alan Cresswell. I had a MK3 Cortina and he was in a P5. He gave me a length of the straight blitz which jacked me sky high and snapped his Rover!” He continued, “The hardest hit I ever did there was a following in on a Diesel A60. I had a PC Cresta and I buried it hard into the bottom bank. Both of us were knocked out on impact!”
‘Kingy’ decided to move to Spedeworth after three years of racing at Smallfield because although he loved it there, he admitted that he wanted “to do more than six meetings a year.” Later on, he concluded that, “I still don’t rate myself as a top driver, but I definitely got better from racing on the Spedeworth tracks.”
Probably the biggest win of ‘Kingy’s’ career came at the 1997 Ipswich Spedeweekend when he won the English Championship. As Matt Bull concluded in his programme notes, “Back in the 90’s the English title was pretty much second behind only the World Final in the championship races that Spedeworth racers would want to win.” Despite this victory, he said after that “At the time it feels great and you are on a high. But when the morning comes and you are sober, you are just 206 Kingy again with a different coloured roof. Don’t get me wrong it’s great to win it, as in all honesty I was starting to think I’d always end up the nearly man, having come second in a few other title races.”
‘Kingy’ also enjoyed success in qualifying for the World Final – qualifying for the biggest major almost every year from 1995 right up until 2009, with only the 2001 World Final missing off of his illustrious CV. His World Final results weren’t too bad either, finishing fifth in 1997, ninth in 2005, seventh in 2006 before finishing fourth in 2008 at the debut of the World Final at the Foxhall Stadium, Ipswich – a track which in a 2006 interview, he concluded as his favourite track.
After the 2008 race, in an interview to Martin Hunt for the official DVD of the event, ‘Kingy’ admitted he could have finished third! “I was running in third. Shane Davies was quicker than me and I didn’t even know I was in a place so I moved over for Shane like an idiot, so he ended up third and me fourth! But you don’t really know where you are in a race like that do you, you just hope you are somewhere at the end, but everyone just seemed to get in my way, everything that happened out there just seemed to happen in front of me, I must have hit thirty flipping motors!”
‘Kingy’ also told Martin Hunt, “I’m not going to try to get into another one (World Final). I’m just going to pick and choose where I race. It’s nice to go and finish it. I’m over the moon!” However, he managed to qualify for the following year’s World Final – winning the Spedeworth National Points Championship at the same time for the second time in his career.
But as the years’ rolled on, ‘Kingy’ did start to pick and choose his meetings, concentrating on Pre-70 meetings, Gala Nights and other similar meetings. He was still seen around the Spedeworth World Qualifying meetings though with his son, 204 Charlie King helping him get into five consecutive World Finals.
After a brief spell racing in the Historic Stock Cars, ‘Kingy’ moved over to RDC and Mildenhall where there were a decent number of special meetings to keep him interested.
‘Kingy’ was still racing last year and had one more very special moment up his sleeve for us to remember him by. During Heat one of the Bears Charity Bash, a huge wrecking train unfolded on the home straight with him delivering a big hit to 421 ‘Nutty Nige’ Nigel Riley’s Rover P5. He admitted after, “I was a bit worried about doing that. I was in that bloody great big Yank and if it was a normal P5 I would have been very wary about hitting it. But I suspected that being one of the Bears it would have some strength to it. As soon as I hit it I thought ‘That’s a relief! Nige’s obviously done some work to it!’ It was a great moment to climb out of the car and hear the crowd’s cheers. It was a great day!” The Bears Bash also saw him line up alongside his two sons, Charlie and Michael – a very proud moment indeed.
We remember ‘Kingy’ for all of these moments and many more, but one thing we can all agree on is that Dave ‘Kingy’ King will be deeply missed by drivers, officials and fans alike. His racing exploits will be continued in the shape of Charlie, Michael and Ollie.
With ‘Kingy’ loving the older cars, day one of the ‘Kingy’ Memorial would be a Pre-70 bash with the pits bursting with around 140 motors on a beautifully sunny and warm Saturday afternoon in Suffolk. From walking around the pits, it was clear to see that there was only one man this was for… ‘Kingy’.
Drivers
4 David Wilde – Rover P6
5 Jeffrey Woolford – Mk1 Triumph 2000
7 Colin Farley – Mk2 Triumph 2000
10 James Eaton – Rover P6
15 Ryan Murphy – used Morris Oxford V Fintail
16 Jack Wheatley – Rover P4
16 Mike Flaherty – MG Magnette ZA
17 Kyle Overy – used Wolseley 16/60
21 Jason Colbert – Morris Oxford VI
22 Dave Vincent – used Austin A55 Fintail
25 Dan Woods – Mk2 Triumph 2000
25 Mark Thomas – used Mk2 Triumph 2000
28 Craig Cooper – used Wolseley 1500
33 Gary Madgwick – Vauxhall Viva HC
55 Graham Smith – used Morris Oxford VI
67 Mark Whittaker – used Mk2 Triumph 2000 (DNR)
68 Sven de Coensel – Opel Rekord C Estate
72 Billy Bond – used B210 Datsun Sunny
73 Fredrick de Witte – Riley 4/72
78 Lee Macey – Rover P6
82 Ben Beasley – used Saab 99
82 Tom Foster – used Saab 99
84 Jack Ansell – Austin A60 Cambridge
85 James Ellis – Morris Oxford VI Estate
89 Cedric Oliver – P7 Taunus Coupe
89 Joe Barrett – used TC1 Taunus Coupe
90 Adrian Harbord – Ford Consul Classic
91 Lee Herbert – used Austin A60 Cambridge
93 Chris North – Lada Riva Estate
95 Jade Harbord – Rover P4
100 Callum White – Volvo 164
105 Billy Standing – Hillman Hunter
112 Tony Spinnewijn – Riley 4/72
112 Sean Gallagher – used Wolseley 16/60
114 Glen Beevis – Rover P6
116 Graeme Jacobs – Mk2 Triumph 2000
116 Nat Cohn – Vauxhall Cresta PB
122 Mark Cooper – used Mk1 Humber Sceptre
128 Andrew Lack – 2-door B210 Datsun Sunny
141 Gary Lee – Mk2 Triumph 2000
141 Dan Steele – used Austin A60 Cambridge
152 Tyrone Poulter – used Hillman Super Minx III-IV
158 Shane Davies – Rover P4
160 Shayn Winsor – Mk2 Triumph 2000
164 Timon van Lenthe – Volvo PV544
164 Jack Turner – MG Magnette Farina
170 Chris Shipp – Volvo Amazon
173 Steven Reynolds – Austin A50 Cambridge
179 Shaun Rushton – Mk2 Triumph 2000
183 Jack Strudwick – Rover P6
188 John Reeves – used Saab 99
193 Nick North – 2-door Vauxhall Viva HC
201 Antony Charman – Hillman Avenger
203 Darren Nash – Rover P4
204 Charlie King – used Austin A60
205 Michael King – Humber Hawk Series I-III
209 Oliver King – Austin A55 Fintail Cambridge
216 Mark Burrows – Austin A55 Fintail Cambridge
222 Terry Lodge – used Hillman Minx V-VI
230 Liam Jordan – Triumph Dolomite
240 Charlie Korpiela – used A60
241 Paul Korpiela – Wolseley 16/60
242 Rick Korpiela – used Riley 4/72
244 Michael Bunyan – 2-door Mk3 Cortina
245 Jack France – Mk2 Triumph 2000
247 Lee Clarke – Austin A60 Cambridge
252 Gareth Griffiths – used Saab 99
252 Steven Bugler – TC1 Taunus
261 Simon Hogg – Wolseley 16/60
261 Dom Davies – Sunbeam Rapier Fastback
267 Martin French – used 2-door Mk3 Cortina
273 Kevin McClagish – Wolseley 16/60
274 Tom Grantham – Mk3 Cortina
276 Adam Rowell – used Mk2 Triumph 2000
298 Carl Locker – used Mk1 Triumph 2000
306 Marc Doughty – 2-door Vauxhall Viva HC
308 Kevin Baxter – used Rover P4
313 Craig Osborne – Wolseley 16/60
317 Calum Jacobs – Rover P6
322 Tom Fox – Morris Oxford Bubble Series II
325 Craig Preece – used Wolseley 18/85
326 Shane Lynn – Rover P4
328 Daniel Lathan – Ford Pinto Estate
329 Michael Carter – Sunbeam Rapier Fastback
331 Jason Jackson – Morris Oxford VI
346 Scott Saunders – Rover P4
349 Lee Saunders – Vauxhall Cresta PB
353 Dan Buckley – Mk1 Consul
384 John Golden – Rover P4
388 Taylor Sowter – used Rover P4
388 Stevo McGrath – Lada Riva Estate
399 Phil Cullen – MG Magnette ZA
414 Neil Peters – Wolseley 16/60
415 Scott Cornish – Morris Oxford VI
421 Laurence Ault – used Hillman Minx I-III
439 Danny Sutton – Morris Oxford VI
442 Ricky Deans – used Riley 4/72
444 Charlie Jackson – Triumph Dolomite
456 Nathan Roberts – MG Magnette Farina
467 Sheldon Grimes – Austin A55 Fintail Cambridge
476 Ross Coleman – Austin A55 Fintail Cambridge
492 Dean Harper – Vauxhall Viscount
506 Terry Williams – used Morris Oxford VI
509 Les Dolan – Mk1 Humber Sceptre
516 Carl Gould – Mercedes W114 Limo
517 Sid Cooper – Mk2 Consul
528 Alan Hunt – Rover P4
537 Martin Brunson – used Mk2 Humber Sceptre
538 Ian Lee – used Mk2 Triumph 2000
548 Alex Utting – Mercedes W114 Coupe
557 Paul Bowen – Mk2 Triumph 2000
558 Rob Haines – used Riley 4/72
570 Jordan Cumming – used Mk1 Triumph 2000
583 Dan Weeks – Mk2 Triumph 2000
587 Alex Humphrey – used Riley 4/68
617 Jack Overy – Mk2 Triumph 2000
622 Garry Webb – Mk2 Triumph 2000 Estate
623 Ricky Hutton – Austin A60 Cambridge
670 Richard Flockton – Mk2 Triumph 2000
673 Darren Fendley – used Mk2 Triumph 2000
688 Steve Collings – Mk2 Triumph 2000
706 Richard Miller – Mk2 Triumph 2000
724 Mark Herbert – Hillman Super Minx Estate
725 Simon Bye – MG Magnette Farina
736 Mitch McGee – HC Viva
753 Billy Cunningham – Humber Hawk I-III
783 Lee Strudwick – Mk2 Triumph 2000
800 Tom Hannah – used Mk2 Triumph 2000
801 Mason Foster – used A60 Estate
811 Pete Winter – used Mk2 Triumph 2000
817 Kurt Jacobs – Fiat 1400
821 Ryan Preston – used Mk3 Cortina
825 Luke Preece – used Mk2 Triumph 2000
841 Phil Jennings – Austin Ambassador
860 Christian Doughty – used Austin Maxi
885 Ash Hanby – Rover P4
887 Rob Browning – used Mk2 Triumph 2000
898 Andy Battle – Mk2 Triumph 2000
913 Brett Osborne – Wolseley 16/60
924 Matt Millen – Wolseley 16/60
959 Aaron Keoghan – Hillman Minx V-VI
Heat One:
The first heat of the afternoon started with 25 Dan Woods getting spun on the exit of turn two before getting collected by 353 Dan Buckley and 388 Stevo McGrath – the later also getting turned around. 122 Mark Cooper Jnr then followed in 222 ‘The Cowboy’ on turn’s three and four with 25 Woods also getting caught up yet again. 201 Antony Charman then went into the two stationary cars leaving him vulnerable to a hard jacking by 193 Nick North. 72 Billy Bond then went in on 193 North before getting hit by 959 Andy Keoghan as he tried to escape the wrecking train. 537 ‘Bruno’ Martin Brunson then followed in 122 Cooper Jnr who kept his foot planted to the floor to drive through the right rear wheel of 959 Keoghan. 93 Chris North then jacked 122 Cooper Jnr with 388 Stevo McGrath also pilling in. The red flags came out and all drivers involved got out to a massive round of applause by the pit bend crowd over on turn’s three and four – Stevo’s car rolling backwards during the stoppage as all drivers shook hands and had a laugh about those mega hits, just what we like to see!
The restart 28 Craig Cooper spin 322 Thomas Fox on turn’s one and two with 736 Mitchell McGee following in 421 ‘Mr Dino’ of ‘The Mob’ from Scotland. 128 Andrew Lack then piled into the McGee car.
Race Winner: 753 Billy Cunningham
Heat Two:
The second heat of the afternoon was for A60 and A55 sized cars and saw a field of around somewhere in the mid-thirty’s and began with 442 Ricky Deans getting spun on the pit bend rolling on his side with 15 Ryan Murphy getting pushed into the front end of Deans car as the reds came out.
The restart saw 240 Charlie Korpiela get spun on the entry to turn three and jacked by 204 Charlie King who was racing one of his Dad’s old A60’s – I believe it was the one raced by ‘Kingy’ at the 2017 Mildenhall Pre-70. 240 Korpiela rolled on his side on impact bring out the red flags for a second time.
The second restart was a lot more ‘roddy’ with mainly spins taking place. 506 Terry Williams came home to win.
Race Winner: 506 Terry Williams
Heat Three:
The third heat race started 216 Mark Burrows being spun on the exit of turn four right on the start/finish line only to be t-boned through the passenger doors by 173 Steven Reynolds. 112 ‘Tony’ spun on turn’s three and four and was hit in the rear by 548 Alex Utting who nearly spun himself on impact – only for 328 Dan Lathan to hit him over the front right to point him in the right direction. 456 Nathan Roberts had the Dutchman 73 ‘Bandit’ right on his bumper with 548 Utting to come in on the rear as they entered turn three. 89 ‘Panda’ Joe Barrett came under attack from 112 ‘Tony’ who was hit by 328 Lathan in the middle of turn’s three and four turning the Dutchman around, nearly rolling.
Race Winner: 841 Philip Jennings
Heat Four:
The fourth heat started with a big push going into turn’s one and two with 583 Dan Weeks and 308 Kevin Baxter stopping against the armco. 528 ‘Jethro’ Alan Hunt jacked 583 Weeks with a stiff shot. Meanwhile, further round the turn, 100 Callum White and 89 Cedric Oliver came together with 326 Shane Lynn delivering a hard shot to the rear right wheel to the Dutchman. 68 ‘Hitman’ Svenn Coensel then jacked 326 Lynn getting some lovely air time – snapping the Rover P4 of Shane Lynn. 252 ‘Boogie’ Steven Bugler then jacked the Dutchman with 141 ‘G-Man’ Gary Lee spinning 252 ‘Boogie’. 10 James Eaton had become stationary on turn’s three and four by the armco and was jacked by 114 Glen ‘Gonzo’ Beevis. 183 Jack Strudwick spun 4 David Wilde before gently hitting 114 ‘Gonzo’. 16 Jack Wheatley then jacked 183 Strudwick with a hard hit. 885 Ash Hanby ‘Chimp’ then jacked 16 Wheatley with 100 Callum white also coming in. 528 ‘Jethro’ then hit 100 White over his rear left wheel as his car remained stuck in the middle of turn’s three and four in the back of 885 ‘Chimp’s’ Rover P4. 141 Gary Lee was nudged head on into 68 Coensel’s stricken car on the back straight by 203 Darren Nash.
Race Winner: 617 Jack Overy
Heat Five:
The fifth heat race was the final one for ‘fresh’ cars and begun with 5 Jeff Woolford getting spun on the home straight before getting collected by 245 Jack France and 384 John Golden. 116 Nathaniel Cohn then followed in 538 Ian Lee on turn’s three and four. 244 ‘Bunny’ Michael Bunyan then followed in 349 Lee Saunders on turn four getting a decent bit of air time. 349 Saunders stopped on the entry to turn one and was hit by 706 Richard Miller who was hit over the rear left wheel by 688 Steve Collings who was then t-boned through the passenger side by 164 Timon Van Lenthe. 346 Scott Saunders then delivered a high-speed shot over the rear left wheel of 706 Miller.
Race Winner: 570 Jordan Cumming
Allcomers One:
As afternoon became evening, the first thirty or so cars were ready for the first allcomers race. 84 Jack Ansell was spun on the exit of turn four and hit in the rear by 17 Kyle Overy. As 84 Ansell tried to get going again, he came under attack from 414 Neil Peters and was spun again. Meanwhile, 230 Liam Jordan was jacked on turn one by 241 Paul Korpiela and sent towards the armco – also stopping 33 Gary Madgwick. As Madgwick tried to reverse out he was jacked by 467 Sheldon Grimes. Grimes then got hit by 17 Overy who managed to reverse out – but as he got going again, he was tagged by 209 Ollie King and spun. On the following lap, with Overy struggling to get going, 209 King delivered a wicked T-bone through the passenger doors. 209 King then got tangled up with 112 Sean Gallagher on the exit of turn four and both hit the armco allowing 313 Craig Osborne to jack 112 Gallagher.
Race Winner: 267 Martin French
Allcomers Two:
A small scuffle occurred on the exit of turn four at the start of the second allcomers resulting in 959 Andy Keoghan to be jacked by 273 ‘Madmouse’ Kevin McClagish who was subsequently hit by 203 Darren Nash with 623 ‘Tricky’ Ricky Hutton also pilling in. 276 Adam Rowell hit 623 ‘Tricky’ with 885 Ash Hanby also delivering a hard shot to 623 ‘Tricky’ – the force of which pushed ‘Tricky’ towards the outside of the track leaving 399 ‘Frog’ Phil Cullen with no where to go but into 203 Darren Nash. With further cars trying to push there way through, a track blockage quickly ensued. 21 Jason Colbert went in and jacked 885 Hanby and was hit by 55 Graham Smith. 456 Nathan Roberts also went in on 55 Smith with 204 Charlie King, 82 Ben Beasley and 188 ‘Victor’ John Reeves trying to push there way through on the inside. 517 Sidney Cooper was pushed into the carnage by 516 Carl Gould who was getting pushed by 170 Chris Shipp, hitting 399 Cullen pushing their way through the blockage. Meanwhile, 439 Dan Sutton had jacked 21 Colbert with 583 Dan Weeks going in on 82 Beasley. 164 Jack Turner tried to find his way round the outside but could only meet 885 Hanby. 164 Turner was then jacked by 203 Darren Nash. A big train of cars finally pushed their way through on the outside wit 170 Shipp getting jacked by 55 Smith with some cool air time. Meanwhile, 331 ‘Boxer Jack’ Jason Jackson had spun on turn two allowing 252 ‘Boogie’ Steven Bugler to go on opposite down the back straight and deliver a massive T-bone to the multiple champion. This incident would see 252 ‘Boogie’ loaded. 439 Sutton then hit 331 ‘Boxer Jack’ over the rear right corner. 587 Alex Humphrey hit 623 ‘Tricky’ hard over his rear left wheel as the blockage of turn four dispersed. 587 Humphreys was then hit by 203 Nash over his rear left wheel. 164 Turner received a solid jack up by 158 Shane Davies. 415 Scott Cornish had turned around on turn two and met 439 Sutton with a head on with 252 ‘Boogie’ t-boning the former PRI World Champion through the passenger doors. 583 Dan Weeks and 476 Ross Coleman had come to grief on the entry to turn three with 476 ‘Rosco’ getting jacked by 158 Davies with air time. As Davies tried to reverse out, he was hit hard over the rear right wheel by 170 Shipp, who then went in on 164 Turner. 203 Nash also went in on 164 Turner on the right rear. 252 ‘Boogie’ was a sitting duck on the start finish line and was jacked by 188 ‘Victor’ and simultaneously hit on the nose by 415 Cornish.
Race Winner: 188 ‘Victor’ John Reeves
Allcomers Three:
The third allcomers saw 274 ‘Leadfoot’ Tom Grantham get half spun in the middle of turn’s three and four by 160 Shayn Winsor who was jacked by 811 Pete Winter. 252 ‘Blobby’ Gareth Griffiths was spun in the middle of turn’s three and four leaving some drivers to try and take avoiding action, leading to 216 Mark Burrows putting 112 ‘Tony’ into the armco head on. 112 ‘Tony’ tried reversing onto the centre but tagged 492 ‘Mullet’ Dean Harper who was t-boned by 216 Burrows through the passenger doors. 72 Billy Bond hit 492 ‘Mullet’ head on just after the start finish line snapping his car. 72 Bond was then t-boned through the passenger doors by 252 ‘Blobby’. 216 Burrows was spun by 783 Lee Strudwick on the home straight. 388 ‘Lump’ Taylor Sowter was spun on the entry to turn three and hit just behind the drivers’ door by accident by 313 Craig Osborne leaving ‘Lump’ a little shaken. But fair play to Osborne, he went over to apologise straight as the reds and chequers came out – both of them shaking hands and having a laugh. But before that, 736 Mitchell McGee was spun on the home straight and t-boned through the passenger doors by 100 Callum White. 100 White was spun on the entry to turn one and met head on by 247 ‘Bro’ Lee Clarke who was jacked by 216 Burrows in a big cloud of dust. 216 Burrows was then shoved into the stationary ‘Bro’ car by 313 Osborne ripping off the passenger door of the Burrows car.
Race Winner: 244 ‘Bunny’ Michael Bunyan
Allcomers Four:
The action started pretty quickly in the fourth allcomers with 16 Mike Flaherty getting pushed into the armco on turn’s three and four, only to be t-boned through the passenger doors by 209 Ollie King. 509 Les Dolan was a sitting duck on turn’s one and two and jacked by 384 ‘Goldie’ John Golden. 273 Kevin McClagish spun 68 Svenn Coensel on turn’s one and two. Over on turn’s three and four, 673 Darren Fendley and 22 Dave Vincent had a scuffle with 73 ‘Bandit’ also involved. 516 Carl Gould pushed 16 Flaherty into the small pile up. 16 Flaherty reversed out but was jacked with a solid shot by 209 Ollie King. 128 Andrew Lack then jacked 209 King with 384 ‘Goldie’ going in on 516 Gould. Lack was jacked by 317 ‘Stress’ Calum Jacobs and spun onto the inside of the turn. 516 Gould hit 209 King who had come together with the Irishman Flaherty again on the exit of turn four and was hit by 308 Kevin Baxter who was hit by 384 ‘Goldie’. 68 ‘Hitman’ went in on 308 Baxter and was hit by teammate 73 ‘Bandit’ who was getting pushed by 241 Paul Korpiela. 241 Korpiela was then jacked by 528 ‘Jethro’ Alan Hunt. 516 Gould then went in on 73 ‘Bandit’. 128 Lack hit the rear left wheel of 273 ‘Madmouse’ spinning him out. Meanwhile, 528 ‘Jethro’ had gone in on 68 ‘Hitman’ on the entry to turn three but got locked together. 384 ‘Goldie’ went in at slow speed to try and separate the pair. ‘Goldie’ then met 128 Lack on the nose at turn four and was hit by 516 Gould. 267 Martin French had halted to a stop on the entry to turn three and was jacked by 273 ‘Madmouse’ McClagish. 516 Gould was jacked by 183 Jack Strudwick who was also jacked by 346 Scott Saunders on the home straight. 7 Colin Farley also got caught up in the action but managed to escape without sustaining any real damage. 261 Dom Davies followed in 346 Saunders on turn’s three and four meeting 116 Graeme Jacobs head on too.
Race Winner: 7 Colin Farley
Final One:
The first Final got underway with 204 Charlie King coming under attack from 841 Philip Jennings on turn three with 244 Michael Bunyan getting pushed in as well who was hit by 89 Cedric Oliver over the rear left wheel. 414 Neil Peters was met head on by 158 Shane Davies just under the starters rostrum as 570 Jordan Cumming and 247 ‘Bro’ Lee Clarke were both spun. 328 Dan Lathan then went in on 158 Davies. 164 Timon Van Lenthe came under attack from 28 Craig Cooper going in on 244 Bunyan. Cooper was jacked by 89 Oliver who was also jacked by 313 Craig Osborne. Osborne was then quickly jacked by 456 Nathan Roberts who was jacked by 204 Charlie King. 885 Ash Hanby ‘Chimp’ then jacked 204 King and reversed out. 112 Gallagher then parked himself in the back of 204 King’s car letting 141 Gary Lee jack him. 84 Jack Ansell was spun on turn three. 528 ‘Jethro’ Alan Hunt was followed in by 141 Dan Steele on turn four with ‘Jethro’ just managing to steer out of any real contact with the armco in time, escaping any major damage. 164 Van Lenthe was pushed unto 537 ‘Bruno’ Martin Brunson’s car head on at the entry to turn three by 442 Ricky Deans. 164 Van Lenthe was then hit over the rear left wheel by 247 ‘Bro’ Lee Clarke. Meanwhile, 28 Cooper was circulating slowly and was jacked by 247 ‘Bro’ on the entry to turn three. Meanwhile, 25 Mark Thomas was jacked by 141 Steele on turn two and was jacked by 442 Deans. The red flags came out to end a great first Final with those involved in the turn three wrecking train receiving a great round of applause from the crowd.
Race Winner: 82 Tom Foster
Final Two:
Due to the number of drivers able to repair cars from the earlier heats and allcomers, a second Final was added to the format. It started with a big push from the midfield on turn’s three and four leading to 84 Jack Ansell getting spun and being met head on by 267 Martin French and then getting t-boned by 801 Mason Foster. 506 Terry Williams then jacked 267 French with 72 Billy Bond piling in on the rear left of 801 Foster. 247 ‘Bro’ Lee Clarke then t-boned 84 Ansell. 388 ‘Lump’ Taylor Sowter was going slow into turn three and jacked by 913 Brett Osborne. Meanwhile, 801 Foster went in over the rear right wheel of 84 Ansell. 152 Tyrone Poulter jacked 913 Osborne and was then jacked by 528 ‘Jethro’ Alan Hunt. ‘Jethro’ was then followed in by 328 Dan Lathan in a similar way to how he was in the first Final. 801 Foster then met 84 Ansell on the nose – carrying on giving him more punishment. A big group of cars came into turn four leaving 209 Ollie King no where to go but into 528 ‘Jethro’. 216 Mark Burrows met 276 Adam Rowell head on and was jacked by 331 ‘Boxer Jack’ Jason Jackson. ‘Boxer Jack’ was then t-boned by 252 ‘Blobby’ Gareth Griffiths. 783 Lee Strudwick went in on 252 ‘Blobby’ and was jacked by 204 Charlie King. 913 Brett Osborne came steaming in on 204 King jacking him right up with some great air time too. 800 Tom Hannah then jacked 913 Osborne and was jacked by 328 Lathan. 817 Kurt Jacobs then went in on the right rear of 328 Lathan. 887 Rob Browning then jacked 817 Jacobs at high speed and backed off. 898 Andy Battle then went in on Jacobs, ruining his Fiat 1400. As 467 Sheldon Grimes tried to find a way through the turn four pile up, he was jacked by 887 Browning. 216 Burrows came the other way and hit 252 ‘Blobby’ on the nose. 388 ‘Lump’ was jacked by 800 Tom Hannah who was subsequently jacked by 328 Lathan. 188 ‘Victor’ John Reeves then jacked 328 Lathan as a route through was slowly emerging. 328 Lathan turned it around to go back into the turn four pile up but was met with a massive T-bone by 216 Mark Burrows snapping both cars! Somehow, Burrows car was still moving, and he managed to reverse out to reach safety. 783 Strudwick pushed 141 Dan Steele into turn four, but both still managed to find a route through. 216 Burrows then t-boned 801 Foster through the passenger doors in his snapped A60 to a big cheer from the pit bend crowd.
Race Winner: 188 ‘Victor’ John Reeves
Destruction Derby:
As night descended over Suffolk, an incredible thirty cars returned for the Destruction Derby to finish off proceedings. Unlike most modern-day DD’s that start with ten laps of round and round before lots of spins, this one went straight into it. 245 Jack France jacked 241 Paul Korpiela, 112 Sean Gallagher jacked 72 Billy Bond (who had come out in Chris Shipp’s car) with 188 ‘Victor’ John Reeves jacking 112 Gallagher. Carnage ensued as the pack continued to come around including 313 Craig Osborne jacking 84 Jack Ansell who took a lot of stick throughout the course of the meeting. 204 Charlie King jacked 313 Osborne and was then jacked by 913 Brett Osborne who was subsequently jacked by 73 ‘Bandit.’ 112 ‘Tony’ met 209 Ollie King with a head on at turn three and was jacked by 28 Craig Cooper with 21 Jason Colbert also meeting ‘Tony’ on the nose. 439 Dan Sutton jacked 73 ‘Bandit’ and was jacked by 783 Lee Strudwick snapping Sutton’s A60 leaving a cool little wreck. 112 ‘Tony’ also pilled in as 188 ‘Victor’ jacked 537 ‘Bruno’ Martin Brunson. 325 Craig Preece jacked 783 Strudwick as 825 Luke Preece jacked 188 ‘Victor’. The red flags came out to check on 439 Dan Sutton.
The restart saw 209 Ollie King get jacked by 28 Craig Coper who received a massive shot from 205 Michael King – who had mechanical problems with his Humber all meeting. Michael King was then jacked by 203 Darren Nash who was hit over the rear right wheel by 112 ‘Tony’ who rolled on his side on impact. The red flags came out for the second time in what had been a fantastic DD so far.
The 2nd restart saw 203 Darren Nash get jacked on the home straight by 476 Ross Coleman. 203 Nash reversed out and jacked Coleman in revenge only to be jacked by 783 Strudwick. 467 Sheldon Grimes jacked 548 Alex Utting at high speed. 825 Luke Preece came on opposite to jack 476 Ross Coleman. 399 Phil Cullen jacked 517 Sidney Cooper who was then jacked by 783 Strudwick. 467 Sheldon Grimes went in slowly on 203 Darren Nash as 112 Sean Gallagher t-boned 517 Cooper at slow speed before meeting him on the nose a little quicker. 825 Preece went in on the rear end of 517 Cooper as the DD reached its climax.
DD Winner: 537 ‘Bruno’ Martin Brunson and 112 Sean Gallagher
All in all, what a fantastic night of crashing and racing to celebrate a true Banger legend and member of our little community. It was great to see so many old cars out on track – it amazes me how these guys can keep them going for so long, through so much punishment on track. I’m sure ‘Kingy’ would have been looking down smiling at it all. The performance of 204 Charlie, 209 Ollie and 205 Michael although plagued by mechanical issues was outstanding. Well done all involved!
RIP Dave King ‘Kingy’ – 1966 – 2017
Related
